Fastening pin



Oct. 235 1956 l 2,767,451

H. KoEHL FASTENING PIN Filed Sept. 17, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l Vig. 5v

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HERMAN KOEHL- ms ATTORNEYS oct. 23, 1956 H- KOEH'- 2,767,451

FSTEN-ING PIN Filed Sept. 17. 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Page Pig. `|`|v INV HER-MAN KOEHL,

M@ u@ ms ATTORN .s

FASTENING PIN Herman Koehl, Danielson, Conn., assigner to C. E. M. Company, Dayvillve, Conn., a partnership Application September 17, 1953, Serial No. 380,807 7 Claims. (Cl. 24.-150) The present invenion relates to a fastening pin for clothes, buttons and the like. More particularly, it con,- cerns what might best be termed a stitch pin consisting essentially of a length of Wire pointed at at least one end and bent into the novel forms hereinafter described,

Clothes, buttons, andthe like are generally fastened permanently to each other by hand or machine stitching with thread. There are, however, many cases in which a temporary attachment is desired at only certain points. This cannot readily be accomplished by stitching with thread, because a plurality of stitches are required to tie the free end of the thread to the cloth and prevent loosening of the attachment.

In order to provide ready temporary attachment, various types of pins have been developed, of which the best known and most widely used is the .common safety pin. By means of this safety pin, clothes may be temporarily attached to each other by what amounts to a single loose stitch of wire Whose ends are tied together. Such tying is effected by catching the point of the vSafety pin in the .customary guard or cap. Owing to the strnture of the ordinary safety pin, it is obviously not possible to obtain a short, tight Stich. As a result such pins are unsuitable for many purposes.

Attempts have often been made to overcome .the Adisadvantages of the loose stitching inherent 4in Ythe ordi ary safety pins by employing va bend .or loop on one o the pin Shanks, which is spaced to pass through the .sloth and thereby form a relatively tight stitch with the loop portion projecting o n one side of the cloth, while theremainder of the pin lies on the other side of the cloth. However, despite various .expediente such as those disclosed in U. S, Patent No. 2,499,086 to Birnkrant et al., there is considerable danger of displacement of the attaching loop resulting in loosening of the stitch formed by .such Aa, modied safety pin- Partieularly with .thin cloths ,as are used vin ladies dresses, such Pins will not always lie dat and form sullicient ,support at the back of Athe cloth to prevent enlargement ofthe Aholes at the points where the attachment loop penetrates the fabri. Furthermore, such safety pins yare fairly b ulky and expensive.

It is an object of my present invention to `overcome these drawbacks and to provide a very simple and inexpensive temporary fastening pin that will furnish a short, tight stitch not readily ,c iisplaced.y Instead of tying the ends of my pin together to form a loose stitch as in the case of a safety pin, I provide independent tying means at each end of my pin effectively closely adjacent the ends of a centrally located attaching portion adapted Vto pass through the cloth and back to the same side again 'between the spaced tying means, in order thus to assure a rmly anchored and non-displaceable attaching structure whereby a short, tight Vstitch may be obtained.

At least one of the aforesaid tying means consists of a pointed end portion .of ythe p in bent into the form of an eye with the point directed tangent from the eye towards and adjacent the end iof the attaching portion kthat is tied ICC by means of said eye, Preferably the attaching portion is bent in the form of a short loop whose plane is substantially at right angles to the plane of the eye. The pointed end in the eye makes possible passage of the attaching loop through the cloth, when using my stitch pin in a manner that will be fully described.

It is further preferred that the diameter of the tying eye is approximately equal to the span of the central attaching portion, whereby the amount of material gripped during insertion of the pin by manipulation of said pointed eye will determine the size of the stitch taken in such manner that it is about equal to Athe length of the attaching portion between the respective tying means at the ends of the pin. It will be understood that this innovation precludes the obtaining of loose and easily displaceable attaching portions of the pin by reason of the fact that the size of the stitch taken locates the attaching portion in flush relationship with the surface of the material gripped, and which material is firmly held at the respective terminals of the attaching portion by direct contact with the independent `tying means- Before use of my pin the pointed eye is opened slightly to form a hook. The opening need only be suioient to accommodate the thickness of the material to be penetrated and is preferably accomplished by depressing the point to form a single turn open helix ythat may he twisted into the cloth. After use, the point is directed tangent from the eye against the end of the attaching portion, so

as to minimize danger of injury to the Person er the fabric. For farther safety a notch or other suitable depression may .be provided at suoh end to reoeive said point- .Sueh .closing ofthe eye also .helps prevent looseningy of the .so tied ons! and better distributes any strain that may be olased upon the .latter- Preferably I employ two such tying means, one for each end of the attaching portion. It is also preferred, in order best to ldistribute Astrains on the attaching portion or loop, to arrange the eyes symmetrically opposite each other in the same plane, i. e., one parallel and adjacent to that of the cloth. 4It is not necessary that both eyes ,includa ,2 1 pointed end ,of my pin, although two snch points malge it possible to insert the pin through the cloth from both ends Instead of ons of these eyes, .I may substitute .any conventional tying or .looking means ,suoh as a buiged pin head, y P-head or the like. Said other tying means should, however, be `effective closely adjacent its end of the attaching portion of the pin. It should preferably lie flat against the back of the cloth and provide effective distribution .of strains .on said portion- Although it is not neeessary in most cases, it may be desirable in some cases, particularly in the case of the larger pins that could be nsed, for example, as diaper pins, to provide a guard for protecting the wearer from the poi-nts. vI have devised a very simple and elective plastic guard .that can be slid over the eye or eyes of my pin, which will be illustrated hereinafter. This is an optional hfeature forming a preferred combination for certain purposes For further comprehension of my invention, reference is .now made Vto the accompanying drawings, ,in which several embodiments are shown by way of illustration and in which there is further illustrated the manner of inserting the distinctive, pointed eye tying means of my nin through a cloth .and of forming a tight stiteh- In these drawings:

Fig. l shows a top View of the preferred embodiment of my pin Fig. 2 shows a side View Iof Vthis embodiment with one of the `eyes opened Afor twisting or r.turning insertion of the pin.

Fig. 3 show s yanother side view of the same pin with vboth eyes closed, as `they would be when the pin is in use.

Fig. 4 shows a plan view of my preferred pin after it has been passed through two. layers of cloth to hold them together.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the combination shown in Fig. 4 and shows the eye used for insertion `of the pin still in its open position.

Fig. 6 is a similar side view of my pin showing how it may be used to fasten a button to the cloth.

Fig. 7 is a back View of the combination shown in Fig. 6.

Figs. 8 and 9 are plan views of other embodiments in which a straight attaching portion is used instead of a loop, and one of the tying eyes is replaced by some other conventional tying means, namely, a bulged head in Fig. 8 and a T-shaped loop head in Fig. 9.

Figs. 10 and 1l show yet another embodiment in plan and side views, respectively, wherein one of the pointed eyes is replaced by an unpointed eye that is not symmetrically opposed to the other pointed one. As may be seen from Fig. ll, the embodiments of Figs. 8 to l0 will ordinarily be furnished with the pointed eye open for insertion through the cloth.

Figs. 12 and 13 show a plan view and end view, re-

` spectively, of my preferred type of pin encased within a simple plastic guard for the points.

As can be seen from Figs. l to 3, my preferred type of stitch pin includes two tying eyes 1 and 2, each formed from a pointed end portion of the wire. The points 3 and 4 of these eyes are directed tangent from the eyes towards and adjacent the ends of the central offset at taching` loop 5. Thus the tying action of'such eyes is effective closely adjacent each end of said loop.

The eyes 1 and 2 are arrangedin the same plane which is at right angles to the plane of the attaching loop 5. The eyes operate independently of each other, and they are preferably symmetrically and oppositely arranged as shown. In Fig. 2, the eye 1 is opened .somewhat by depressing the point 3, thus giving it the form of a hook or `single turn helix. The same can be done withthe other eye 2, if it were desired to insert the stitch pin from that end. After the stitch pin is in place, i. e., when it is in use, both of the eyes 1 and 2 will be closed as illustrated in Fig. 3. This prevents displacement of the pin `and damage to the person or fabric by the points 3 and 4, which are then guarded by the ends of attaching loop 5 against which they are directed. `One may, if desired, provide small notches 16 `(see Fig. 2) or other recesses at the ends of the loop in `which said points can be held, thus guarding them more securely.`

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate the manner in which my preferred stitch pin may be used to fasten two layers of cloth together. The pin is brought into the position shown by pushing the point 3 of the opened eye 1 through both layers of cloth and then twisting or turning the pin to insertthe entire eye. After thus pushing through the eye 1, insertion of the pin is continued until arrested by the closed eye 2,` whereupon the twisting or turning insertion of the opencye 1 through both layers of fabric is carried out in the return direction, resulting in the position of the pin illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. Eye 1 is then closed by raising the point 3 to the bend in the pin where the eye 1 is connected to the attaching loop 5. Reference numerals 6 and 7 indicate where such guarding of the points 3 and 4 takes place. When the pin is thus in place, the central attaching loop 5 holds both layers of cloth tightly and cannottbe displaced. This loop 5 can be made of various sizes to accommodate various thicknesses of cloth. The eyes 1 and 2 evenly distribute strains on the loop 5 and prevent bulging or other distortion of the cloth. This is particularly important in the use of the pin now to be described.

Figs. 6 and 7 show the pin used in much the same manner to` attach the button `8 to the two layers of cloth by means of the button eye 9. In this case the attaching loop passes through said eye and holds the button securely. In order to facilitate insertion of the pin, the

diameter of `theeyes is approximately equal to the dis: tance between them, i. e., the distance between the ends of the attaching loop 5. In such case, when inserting the point of the open eye in its return passage through the cloth, only an amount of cloth is bridged that corresponds to the span of the attaching loop. As may be seen from Fig. 7, the eyes form not only a wide at anchor for the loop, but also present an attractive appearance, so that they need not be covered.

In Figs. 8 to ll there are not shown various embodiments of my stitch pin in which only one pointed eye tying means is employed. The tying means at the other end is one of the conventional means for arresting passage of a pin through cloth. In Fig. 8 it is a bulged head 10, as is used in common straight pins. In Fig. 9 it is a T-shaped loop head 11, as is used in so-called bank pins for holding papers together. In Figs. l0 and 1l the other tying means `consists of an unpointed eye that is arranged asymmetrically with respect to the pointed eye at the `other end.

The embodiments shown in Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate pins according to the present invention in which the attaching portion does not include a loop, but instead is formed as a straight shank area. This form of the invention can readily be prepared from conventional, straight pin forms and provides an exceedingly inexpensive and simplified pin with which a tight stitch may be obtained. common straight pins.

The embodiment illustrated in Figs. l0 and ll conforms substantially to the invention as illustrated in Figs. l and 2 with the exception that the tying means 12 consists of a closed unpointed eye that is arranged asymetrically with respect to the pointed eye 1 at the other end.

VIn all of the embodiments illustrated, however, the pin is inserted through the cloth by means of the open pointed eye 1 in the same manner as described for the embodiments of Figs. 1 to 7. Each performs a tight stitch, since the other conventional tying means 10, 11 and 12 are all etfective closely adjacent their ends of the central attaching portion.

In Figs. l2 and 13 there is illustrated a simple plastic guard 13 for the points of the preferred embodiment of my stitch pin. This guard has the form of a closely titting envelope with a side opening 14 through which the eye may be inserted. A top opening or slit 15 is required to accommodate the attaching loop 5. It will be apparent that when the guard 13 is slipped over` the not only to cover the points 3 and 4, but also to keep said eyes closed. Instead of plastic, my guard 13 may be made of any other smooth material that can be suitably formed.

From the foregoing detailed descriptionof how my stitch pins and the guard may be applied, it will be evident how they can be removed, when itis desired to dissolve the attachment. One simply reverses the procedure. In my preferred embodiment and the one shown in Figs. l() and 11, it is of course also possible to withdrawthe stitch pin by opening the other eye, 2 and 12 respectively,

eyes 1 and 2 it will serve and passing it through the cloth.`

My invention is not limited to the specific embodiments hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings. It will be apparent that my stitch pin can be varied in its form to serve a great variety of different purposes without in any way departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. All such modifications and equivalents are embraced within the appended claims, unless clearly excluded by the express language thereof.

I claim:

l. A fastening device comprising a relatively thin, elongated shank, an annularly curved, flexible engagement means integrally extending from each of the opposite ends of said shank, each of said engagement means being provided with a pointed end, said pointed ends extending toward Said shank in planes substantially perpendicular to In use the cloth is bent as in the case of` the axis of said shank, said engagement means being positioned in opposite lateral positions relative to said shank, and in a common plane both with each other and with said shank, said shank being, further, provided, intermediate said engagement means, with a looped portion, said looped portion extending perpendicularly both to the axis of said shank and to said aforementioned common plane.

2. A stitch pin for fastening of clothes, buttons, and the like consisting essentially of a length of wire having a central attaching loop for passing through and attaching such materials together, an independently operating tying means effective closely adjacent each end of said loop, at least one of said tying means consisting of a pointed end portion of said wire bent into the form of an eye with its point directed tangent from the eye towards and adjacent the loop end tied by said eye, said loop end being provided with a recess for receiving said point.

3. A fastening device comprising a relatively thin, elongated shank, an engagement means at each of the opposite ends of said shank, both of said engagement means being positioned in a common plane, at least one of said engagement means comprising an annularly curved, flexible end portion integral with said shank and provided with a pointed tip, said end portion being curved in such manner that said pointed tip extends toward said shank and is positioned adjacent said shank in a first plane which is perpendicular to the axis of said shank, and in a second lateral plane which is common with the longitudinal plane of said shank, and wherein the central portion of said shank is provided with a loop, said loop extending in a curved direction in a plane perpendicular to both of said aforementioned planes.

4. A pin for forming a stitch in textile material consisting essentially of a length of stiff bendable wire having an upwardly extending central attaching offset loop whose ends are adapted to pass through said material thus forming the stitch on one side thereof, and two independently operating end tying portions each adapted to engage the opposite side of said material and to hold said stitch, at least one of said end tying portions being in the form of an eye and including a pointed tip directed tangent from said eye towards and adjacent the end of the central attaching loop that is tied by said eye, the said pointed tip terminating in downwardly spaced relation beneath the said adjacent end of the said central attaching loop, and the plane of said eye being substantially at right angles to the plane of said central attaching loop.

5. As an article of manufacture and sale a pin for forming a stitch in materials comprising: a wire having a shank portion adapted to pass twice through said materials; and end tying eye portions extending from said shank portion and adapted to engage the same side of said materials; the said shank portion being offset intermediate the said end portions; at least one of said end tying portions being in the form of a single turn open helix, whereby the said helix may be passed from a first side of said materials to the other side of said materials and be returned to said rst side and thereby form a stitch in said materials.

6. As an article of manufacture and sale, a stitch for fastening clothes, buttons and the like consisting of a length of stiff bendable wire formed to provide an offset central attaching portion, an end portion being a single turn open helix and arranged with its free end terminating in spaced relation and adjacent one end of said central portion and another end portion of closed eye shape at the other end of said central portion.

7. As an article of manufacture and sale, a stitch for fastening clothes, buttons and the like consisting of a length of stiff bendable wire formed to provide an offset central attaching portion, an end portion being a single turn open helix and arranged with its free end terminating in spaced relation and adjacent one end of said central portion and a head portion at the other end of said central portion.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 823,317 Best June 12, 1906 1,635,785 Gross July 12, 1927 2,150,118 Harrison Mar. 7, 1939 2,462,688 Stone Feb. 22, 1949 2,499,086 Birnkrant Feb. 28, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 24,837 Great Britain of 1905 

